Whenever I think about pregnancy weight gain, I think of Renée Zellweger playing Bridget Jones, the role that catapulted her to true stardom—and for which she had to gain some 30 lbs. After losing the weight and then regaining it for the second Bridget Jones film, Zellweger was fed up with the yo-yo-ing. She griped […]

The glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes is something of a second trimester rite of passage. If your pregnancy has proceeded uneventfully so far, nearly all the standard tests are behind you. Only one standard test left. And for this final one (typically between 24-28 weeks), you get to choke down a disgustingly sweet drink* […]

Stressful. That was the word that best captured Jessica’s diagnosis with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). The 35-year-old’s first pregnancy had proceeded uneventfully until her glucose tolerance test. When, at 28 weeks, her test results came back positive. The positive result came on a Friday. She could not see her doctor until after the weekend. The […]

At a routine 36-week prenatal exam, Jessie Ha’s blood pressure measured 120/80. These numbers were on the high side for her.  She has an autoimmune disease that normally causes her blood pressure to run low. But the 35-year-old disability advocate was not overly worried. Nor was her doctor. They chalked it up to normal pre-birth […]

In addition to weird aches and discomforts (sciatica, anyone?), weight gain, and puking, pregnancy can make routine decisions—what should I eat right now?—annoyingly complex. For every meal, it’s a series of questions. Does this contains any “no-nos” like soft cheese or deli meats? Is it healthy enough? Did I get at least two servings of […]

If your round ligaments weren’t on your radar before, they certainly may be by the time you hit your second trimester. A sudden change in position may spur a painful sensation. Or you may notice a constant feeling of discomfort, especially during the third trimester. Welcome to round ligament pain, my friend. Another totally normal […]

It’s never fun to hear that your placenta is in the wrong spot. Honestly, I didn’t even know that was a possibility until my 20 week ultrasound when the sonographer told me I had a low lying placenta. In her words: “Not technically placenta previa but your placenta is very close to your cervical opening […]

Did you know that you can protect your newborn by receiving a Tdap vaccine during your third trimester? This approach is 90% effective at preventing Whooping Cough in newborns!

What are Braxton Hicks contractions? Braxton Hicks contractions are basically your run-of-the-mill, practice or “warm-up” contractions. Their job is to get your uterine muscle ready for labor. Braxton Hicks are also called non-labor contractions because they don’t directly lead to labor. Unlike true labor contractions, Braxton Hicks don’t dilate the cervix or cause the birth […]